Semester Reflection Part 1

What have you learned about the way you learn, work, and/or collaborate?
I've definitely learned that I am a very hands on energetic person that enjoys working and interacting with others, while taking on the leadership role. I believe that working with energy helps whatever you're doing to be a lot more fun, and seem a whole lot faster. Then, eventually the energy will spread amongst others and everybody will get in a fabulous mood.



What project was most valuable to you, and what have you gained from it?
The most valuable project to me would definitely have to be Ampersand. The reason why, is because it helped me to not only become a stronger writer, but most of all a stronger student as well. By being placed in the middle of a professional working environment, and having to be responsible and independent, I was able to get a hands on comprehension of the business world and how it functions. This molded me to become mentally stronger, and I was able to learn new work ethics that I knew I would use in the future.



Describe in detail one significant academic challenge you faced this year. Why was it a challenge for you?
One significant academic challenge that I faced this year, was trying to keep all my work organized. I become busy very easily, so sometimes being organized just slips my mind. But in my mind, I knew that if I wanted to have work and notes to refer to, and navigate through things in a reasonable amount of time, then I would have too start keeping better track of my things. So for the sake of bein a better student, I did.

Describe one valuable mistake you made this year.
One valuable mistake that I made this year, was over powering some of the people that

Writing Reflection

I would definitely have to say that the main improvement that I've seen in my writing, is in my structure. In the beginning of the year when we did the American Icon writing piece, my writing was good, however, I had no idea that my writing would've reached the level of professionalism that it did, during and after the completion of Ampersand.

From Beginning the American Icon project, all the way up to completing Ampersand I felt like I was on a roller coaster for writers! When the ride began I can honestly say that I was nervous. The reason why was because I knew that I was going to experience thrill and excitement, but I was also going to experience unexpected ups and downs as well. But fortunately for me, I came onto the ride with a proper mind and heart.

The main ups and downs that I was nervous about the most, were ones that had to do with structure. I've always been good at just putting my thoughts on paper, but not so good at organizing those thoughts so that they flowed and made since. I was able to somewhat do this for my American Icon project, but I realized that if I wanted to come out on top as being the best writer that I could be, I would have to replace the word somewhat with completely. So from then on, I just began to make that a mental goal of mind that I would always be working towards reaching. Because all aspects of writing are extremely important, it's just that to me personally, the structure of the writing works as a base for everything else. Since once I figure out where certain pieces are supposed to go, I can easily work around that, and work to make all the other aspects such as creativity and grammar, fall into place. So I knew that in order for this strategy to be successful, I would have to work hard and began right away, so I did.

From then on, I started taking more detailed notes, asking deeper questions, engaging in on revision and critique sessions, observing other peoples blog responses, and creating a special bond with my teacher, so that he to could help to guide me through the process of being a better writer on a personal level, by realizing and understanding my own specific needs and strengths as a writer. Before I knew it, it was time for the Ampersand project, and I knew that this was my time to shine and incorporate ALL the writing skills, strategies, tips, tools, and enhancers that I had learned up to that point.

Eventually, after all the hard work, effort, and energy that I put into the work and writing exercises leading up to my final Ampersand writing piece, not only did I exceed my goal of improving my writing structure, but I was also able to incorporate my experience at internship, that stood as a real real world learning component. I couldn't help but to feel excited and proud of myself at exhibition, because I knew that I had come a long way, and people would definitely be able to tell without even talking to me, because it was all shown through the creativity, professionalism, and organization of my piece.

My future writing goal is to be less afraid of making mistakes and trying new things with my writing. I've always been one to try and write my writing based on specific rules and tips that were taught to me, which is fine, but rarely any of my own. I enjoy being myself, fabulous, and unique, so I'm just going to keep trying to work towards always incorporating my characteristics and going beyond the boundaries of general writing guidelines.

Historical Reflections

If I could choose, I would be more than excited to be able to run into Martin Luther King, jr. as a visitor in my college. The reason why I would choose him, is because he made such a large impact on youth, and was able to introduce a dream, that changed the unity, communication, and emotions, amongst youth of all ages forever.

By him doing this, I believe that not only was he able to empower and encourage history as a whole, to go forth and become better, but a countless number of individuals as well. Through his famous address given in Memphis the night before his assassination, on April 3, 1968, I was quickly able to sense the determination and hope that he had for his people. Fortunately for him, without hesitiation, he was clearly able to reassure people all across the world that he looked over, and he'd seen the promised land! and that he may not get there with us, but we as a people would get to the promised land, regardless of how long it took.

A quote that I would explain to Martin Luther king as one of my favorites, would be from his famous "I Have a Dream" speech which is: " I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. " This is one of my favorite quotes, because to me personally, it was presented to the world as sort of like a key to a better future. Because through the quote, he let it be known that the significance and worth of a person should not be based on their skin color, but by what's within.

Due to the amount of power, hard work, knowledge, creativity, dedication, and hope that he contributed to our history, I would have no choice but to show him respect, and controlled energy while interacting with him. Letting him know that I am overjoyed to be in his presence, but aware of all the things he did, and all the obstacles he faced to make our world a better place.

*Primary sources

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkquotes1.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

Literary Reflections

If I could bring one character from any one book that I've read this year with me when I go to college, I would definitely bring Huck, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as a roommate on campus. The reason why I would bring Huck, is because I feel like since he had a rough childhood and was formally uneducated, he deserves a friend that he can count on for guidance, an that can at least try to make up for the happiness that he missed out on as a child.

I know for a fact that not only would I be able to help Huck, but Huck could help me as well. College can become chaotic and difficult sometimes, and in order to not be consumed by these factors, it may take some kind of person, object, or action, to help you. So by Hick being in my life as a friend, I feel like he can help me to remain humble and keep my head on straight, since he will, in a way be depending on me to keep my promise of being there for him. And in order for me to do that, I would have to stay focused and stay away from college negativity.

“Miss Watson she kept pecking at me, and it got tiresome and lonesome", were the words that were said by Huck, in chapter three of the book. In my personal opinion, Huck was not given the proper guidance and structure in his younger years, and it would be my pleasure to become a leader and companion to Huck, not only for college life, but life in general as well. I believe that it's never too late to befriend and genuinely help someone, after they have, in fact, endured a rough childhood.

Post Trial Reflection

1: The main facts presented to the case by the prosecution, was that they believed that Illegal immigrants should get the same rights as US citizens, and that nowhere in the amendments does it mention that illegal immigrants should be treated unfairly. The prosecution did an excellent job of proving their point, and referring them to the constitution. When Calvin got up to counter examine people from the defense he really held his ground, and made even important people, such as the governor, confused about their own beliefs. Also, by being able to present useful evidence in an organized way, they gained a better understanding from me, as a jury member. As for the witnesses, Lupe did a greta job of really taking on the role of an innocent immigrant that just wanted equal rights, because she made her testimony convincing and realistic, which greatly contributed to the prosecution as a whole.


2: The maim facts presented to the case by the defense, was that Illegal immigrants were making Arizona an unsafe environment, and was taking job openings away from US citizens. I believe that along with the prosecution side, their side could've been a little more prepared with their evidence and presentation as a whole. Their witnesses seemed a little unsure about their own information, and their counter arguments weren't that powerful. Other than that, I feel like overall they did, in fact, get their point across . They were trying to make it clear that illegal immigrants shouldn't be able to receive the same rights as humans. They did, for the most part have effective evidence to help their case, but could've went a little more in-depth with it. As for the witnesses, I liked how they chose to use a governor as a witness, because it helped to get an understanding of some ones opinion that had power.

3: - The most significant piece of evidence was from the prosecution side, when Calvin mentioned that no where in the amendments does it say that illegal immigrants don't have the right to a fair trial. To me, by him pointing this out, it just sort of backed the defense side into a corner, because it was in fact the truth. It challenged the defenses point about how illegal immigrants should not get the same rights as US citizens. Calvin's observation really ignited the case, and made me, as a jury member, want to listen to more.

4: - The most significant argument was again, Calvin trying to prove that what the beliefs of the defense witnesses did not clearly connect to the amendments. Because, no matter what is said or done, the amendments are the amendments, and we as people, are supposed to abide by them. So therefore, it became really interesting to see people (defense), try and twist and veer around them, during certain points of the trial.

5: I absolutely do agree with the jury. I believe that overall, the prosecution side was a lot more structured and organized when it came to trying to prove their point to the jury. I mean, both sides did a good job, but when it came down to it, the evidence and creativity of the prosecution side was a lot more powerful, and grabbed my attention a lot faster.

* I think I deserve a 45 out of 50 points because I took good notes, I listened, and in the end I was able to clearly refer back to the trial, and successfully engage into the jury deliberation.

Semester DOS, Honors History #2

Although World War 1 and 2 are two wars that greatly influenced the world that we currently live in today, there were multiple events that occurred that helped to make this possible. The event that interested and grabbed my attention the most is when women were finally able to work, since I am of course, a lady.

when the government launched a propaganda campaign, in 1942, to sell the importance of the war effort and to lure women into working, the entire idea of women workers coming into existence began to explode.

They promoted a fictional character of "Rosie the Riveter" as the ideal woman worker: loyal, efficient, patriotic, and pretty. Not long after, did the song, "Rosie the Riveter", get released to women all across the US. This became an instant media success. This song not only motivated women who weren't working outside of their homes to start, but even women who were working in less intense jobs such as coffee shops, to began working in more intense locations such as factories.

However, while patriotism, and the hit song did influence women, ultimately it was the economic incentives that convinced them to work the most. Once they were at work, they discovered the non-material benefits of working, like learning new skills, contributing to the public good, and proving themselves in jobs that were once though of as only men's work.

All women responded to the call to work differently depending on age, race, class, marital status, and number of children. Half of the women who took war jobs were minority and lower-class women, who like I mentioned earlier, were already in the workforce.

I believe that by this sort of perspective that women looked at working is still being used today. In today's society, when women apply for jobs, they do tend to take into consideration the status of their personal lives. One women might think that its best for her to be a stay at home mom since she has a lot of children, while a less fortunate women might be in dyer need of money,a and will take any job that's available. In my opinion, I believe that it all depend son the person and their take on life.

Semester DOS, Blog #14

The most interesting aspects of World War 1:

- Involved most of the world's great powers

- More than 15 million people were killed, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in history

- The decision was made to involve the United States in a war so that the "life of the entire people could be altered." This was the conclusion of a foundation supposedly committed to "peace."

- President Washington attempted to warn the American people about getting embroiled in the affairs of Europe. But in 1914, it was not to be. There were those who were secretly planning America's involvement in World War I whether the American people wanted it or not.

Cited Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I

http://www.threeworldwars.com/world-war-1/ww1.htm

WW2:

- The war was directly blamed by the victors on the militant nationalism of the Kaiser's Germany; it was Germany that effectively started the war with an attack on France through Belgium

- Was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945

- No one wanted war. Yet, when Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, other European countries felt they had to act

- President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the United States during both the Great Depression and World War II. Paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a bout of polio, Roosevelt overcame his disability and was elected president of the United States an unprecedented four times

Cited Sources:

http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/World_War_II.htm

http://www.threeworldwars.com/world-war-1/ww1.htm

What I hope to learn:

- How were children involved or effected in these wars?

- What was the point of both wars?

- What other problems did these wars lead to?

How did the wars impact life today?:

I believe that both these wars are still impacting our world and society today. The reason why is because since both wars were so big, and caused so many different things to happen, the process sort of worked as a rotating circle. What happened then came back around and started affecting us today, just on a much smaller scale. We still have wars, we as the people still have to elect a president that we think will help change things for the better, and we still have laws that help to keep things in order.

By me learning about the wars, I'm able to learn about and understand what events happened in the past that led the world to where it is today, and why things happen the way they do.

S2 Blog 13 (GOW Final Essay)

3. Describe how the balance between specific stories about the Joad family and broader description of the migration of Dust Bowl farmers impacts the novel as a whole.

The Grapes of Wrath depicted the story of two “families”: the Joads and the collective body of migrant workers. Although the Joads were joined by blood, the text clearly explaind and went in-depth on the fact that it was not their genetics but their loyalty and commitment to one another that established their true togetherness.

In the migrant lifestyle portrayed in the book, the biological family unit, lacking a home to live within their own boundaries, quickly became a thing of the past, as life on the road forced them to create new connections and form new relationships. The reader experienced this change at work when the Joads met the Wilsons. In a remarkably short time, the two groups merged into one, sharing one another’s hardships and committing to one another’s survival. This merging took place among the migrant community in general as well: “twenty families became one family, the children were the children of all. The loss of home became one loss, and the golden time in the West was one dream.” Even in the midst of adversity, the livelihood of the migrants depended upon their union. As Tom eventually realized, “his” people were all people.

I believe that the way Tom began to realize this, was by the biological familiy and the migrant workers as a whole, constantly demonstrating the definition of unity togethernes around. This helped and veered Tom towards first observing this type of living, and then slowly but surely living that way himself, which soon led to the joads and the migrants to not only experience the hurdles, but the process of moving forward as one also. Moving forward, to me, was one of the most important things that the joads and migrants had to do if they were going to have any chance of rising above all the negativities that tried to bring them down.

According to Steinbeck, many of the evils and negativities that came into contact with the Joad family and the migrants stemed from selfishness. Simple self-interest motivated the landowners and businessmen to sustain a mean and harmful system that sunk thousands of families into poverty. In contrast to and in conflict with this policy of selfishness stood the migrants’ behavior toward one another. Aware that their livelihood and survival depended upon their commitment to the collective idea, the migrants united—sharing their dreams as well as their burdens—in order to survive. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck constantly emphasized self-interest and the devotion to the welfare of others as equal and opposite powers, evenly matched in their conflict with each other. In Chapters 13 and 15, for example, Steinbeck presented both greed and generosity as going beyond the normal limit, while the following action was an extremely posititve response.

In Chapter 13, we learn that corporate gas companies had preyed and harassed the gas station attendant that the Joads met. The attendant, in turn, insulted the Joads and hesitated to help them. Then, after a brief detailed explanation chapter, the Joads immediately came upon an instance of kindness that demonstrated an act of non-self-interest, and more humbleness: Mae, a waitress, sold bread and sweets to a man and his sons for drastically reduced prices. Some truckers at the coffee shop saw this interchange and left Mae an extra-large tip.

Obviously, in this instance, it was better to give than to receive. Mae, obviously felt the urge to want to help and contribute to the man and his sons by simply reducing the cost of food purchased by the man. Lucky for her, due to her kind heart and gesture, the truck drivers rewarded her and showed that they recognized her generosity by leaving her a large tip.

In my opinion. this situation, in a way, represented a symbol or point that would definitely benefit both the joads and the migrants. If the landowners and businessmen would've also taken the time out to look beyond protocol, to try and truly understand the minds and hardships of the different migrants and families, then they too might've been able to help in some way possible. unfortunately, however, businessmen and landowners didn't have any sympathy to even think twice about trying to help families keep their land and homes. They instead, just like I mentioned earlier, put all their effort towards selfishness, whch resulted into going from what used to be a society of organized families with establshed gender roles, to complete chaos and switch of roles.

When the novel began, the Joad family relied on a traditional family structure in which the men made the decisions and the women obediently did as they are told. In fact, the family was so invested in these roles that they continued to honor Grampa as the head of the family, even though he had outlived his ability to act as a sound leader.

As the Joads journey west to try and make a living in California, the family dynamic changed drastically. Discouraged and defeated by his stack of failures, Pa withdrew from his role as leader and spent his days tangled in thought. In his position, Ma assumed the responsibility of making decisions for the family. At first, this shocked Pa, who, at one point, lamely threatened to beat her into her so-called "proper" place. The threat is empty and false, however, and the entire family knew it. Eventually, the switch of roles worked in the favor of the Joads family, which helped to motivate other families, and also tie in the main idea of the novel.

By the end of the novel, the Joad family structure had undergone a revolution, in which the woman figure, traditionally powerless, had taken control, while the male figure, traditionally in the leadership role, had withdrawn, setting the srage and opening new doors to the improvemnt of other family lives and environments.

This revolution, in my opinion, paralleled or matched up with a similar change in the larger economic statuses in the outside world. For instance, like when the workers at the Weedpatch camp governed themselves according to their own rules, and shared tasks in a way that satisfied their own understanding of fairness and equality rather than power-hungry ambition or love of authority.

It's clearly obvious that both the Joad and the migrant families sort of reflected off each others lifestyles, and learned and became enlighted by each other in a way that guided them towards comprehending how to work together and pull through obstacles, to get closer and closer to a better, more fair and understandng lifestyle and environment.

S2 Honors Novel Blog #1: A Child Called It

In A Child Called It, the theme of abuse is an obvious and important theme, but a social issue in our society as well. No child wants to be abused, neither verbally, mentally, or physically. However, sometimes in order for someone to feel a sense of power and defeat for themselves, they harshly bring down one(s) that they once use to genuinely love and care for.

Child abuse was the theme of Dave Pelzer's life between the ages of four and twelve, the time period over which this book covers. There are many types of abuse that can damage a child's delicate psyche and most of them are covered in this book. The first is verbal abuse. Many people do not realize how deeply words can wound and hurt a child. And not only does it have to be the words that wound the child but the actions, tone, and meanings behind the words as well. A child's feelings are a lot more delicate than those of the adults, and they tend to be affected for longer periods of time. Unfortunately, in our society, abuse tends to be overlooked and overpowered by things that are "more important." But think about, what could be more important than the physical and mental well being of the children? or better yet, our future?

Language can be as damaging to a child as a fist. The very title of this book, A Child Called It, is a perfect example of verbal abuse. Dave's mother reduced her child, a son she gave birth to, down to nothing. Dave's mother refused to acknowledge Dave as a member of the family for many years, slowly but surely beating him down literally, to be worth, to her, even his dad and brothers, no more than the dirt on the ground.

Daves childhood was filled with cruel events perpetrated on Dave by his mother in a fog of alcoholism and mental instability. Dave's perspective, the child who actually went through the events portrayed in this autobiography, clearly demonstrated and represented an inhumane lifestyle, that is being experienced by children all over the world. These events include horrible beatings, starvation, and forced feedings of chemicals, such as ammonia. Dave was only four or five when these episodes of abuse began with time standing in a corner and escalating to time forced to stare at himself in a mirror. Is this a way to discipline anyone?

In my opinion, this did not help Dave, but hurt him. Forcing a child so young to do such a thing,does not help them to realize their wrong, but veer them more towards decreasing the value of themselves. Doing that has the potential to lead to built up frustration and possibly really bad behavior. Not only should the mom have came up with a better way of dealing with his mischief, but society should currently be in the process of coming up with a better more effective way to deal with child abuse as a whole. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes the world to better the abused lives of young children. Love and care should take the place of beatings and intentional starvation.

Pelzer’s book has been criticized for its poor writing and self-complaints. Also, some believe that the circumstances are so unbelievable that they are hard to believe. What father would leave his helpless son and allow such terrible abuse in his home? What mother could possibly behave this way? I believe that there are no actual people in the novel, only demons. However, I did notice Dave's strong ability to handle difficult subject matters and explore and expand the perspective of a boy suffering at the hands of his own mother.

By structuring his writing in this way, it helped me to get a better visual and understanding of abused souls and minds as a whole. What Dave went through, should be a learning experience and wake up call to everyone around the world. Society is constantly changing, and morphing everyday. And if child abuse is going to be reduced, it will be up to the people within the society to bring awareness to people they know, so that everyone can try and work together to help make a difference in the lives of abused children. A child that is hopeless, and on the verge of completely giving up, is waiting for caring people like us to be their savior and the one that helps them to realize that they can be loved, and their horrific past, could be turned into a bright future.

History Blog #1

Dear President Barack Obama,

As your advisor, I believe that in order for you to succeed, your number one goal as president, should be to effectively communicate with the US as a whole. Everyone is currently facing their own obstacles, along with having to constantly adjust to new laws and ideas being put into place. However, if you come up with a way to strategically grab everyones attention at once, and make them feel as if you are recognizing and trying to address their questions and concerns ndividualyl, on a personal basis, then more respect woulf come your way? Why? Because then citizens will began to feel heard and important, which will eventually lead to more patience, encouragement, and motivation. At this point, the economy is in deed, a very imbalanced place right now and its up to you to help reconstruct it.

Not only has the unemployment rate icreased, but even those who have jobs are sufferering, because they too are also becomming frustrated at how long its taking to really notice a dastic change in the econonomy. Gas prices are sky rocketing, health care is slipping, and education support is becoming limited.

Your reassurance to the people is not to just give hope, but to set your objective and presidency apart from the previous, but connected to the ones that stand in history as someone that did what they believed, but tried their hardest to take in the consideration, thoughts, ideas, and struggles of others, similar to former president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

President FDR believed that all should be created equal, and that he served the people to the best of his abilty, helping them to realize the good in the future, and forget and move forward away from the bad and troubles of the past.

In the end, this letter is not to make up your mind for you, when it comes to fulfilling your duty as president, but to help you in a way that veers your mind toward a direction that will help fulfill your duty as president to the best of your ability in a smart and creative way. Because, no matter what, you represent the people, and the people represent your work.



Sincerely,

Your advisor

semester 2 blog 1

I can explain a successful interesting interview in three words: Creative, accurate, and organized. An interview should not just seem like a fan asking a whole bunch of questions. A good interview should seem almost like a short story that comes to life through very good questions with informative answers.

Creative. To me, no interview should be boring or seem useless. All questions should be questions that the reader would actually want to know, and that the interviewee could actually put effort towards answering. When the interview gets to the final product after the editing process, it should seem like the reader is actually sitting with the interviewee while they are reading the interview. In the end, through the writing, and the set-up of the interview, the reader should get a really good sense of who the interviewee is, where they come from, and what type of person they are, and maybe even the process they went through to get to where they are now.

Accurate. All questions and answers in the interview should all be true, and should represent you as an interviewer and them as an interviewee. It will never be good to do an interview with writing that does not match up to the kind of person the interviewee is, and the type of things that they would say. So if i circulate my interview and my writing around accurate information, then everything else will start to fall into place.

Organized. If an interview is all over the place, all the writing is jumbled, and it seems like the reader would get confused reading the interview, then its clearly obvious that the interview and the writing is not organized. I know that in order for my interview to be a success, I'm going to have to make sure that all the writing flows, and the questions are put in an order that makes sense, and flows in a way that helps the reader to understand me as a writer and my interviewee as a person.

Remembering all the information above will definitely lead to a fabulous interview!

Below are a link to two interviews that I thought were very good examples of successful, well written interviews. One is an interview done by Access Hollywood on Michael Jackson, while the other is done by ivillage on Beyonce:


http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/celeb/cint/articles/0,,156471_690355,00.html

http://blogs.accesshollywood.com/archives/2009/06/my-final-interview-with-michae.html

S2 blog 7

Honestly, I believe that my company would've probably shrunk during the great depression. And the reason why is because it is a law firm, a very small law firm, and back then, the only companies that really stayed open and functioning were basic necessity locations like grocery stores. Law is important, but I don't think that anyone would've really been concerned about a law firm during the great depression. Besides, you need money to be reresented by a law firm, and there was very little of that during that time.

Final Photo Essay

What you see above, is a future criminal defense attorney and super model. I know that with God, the right mind, attitude, guidance, and self-motivation, I can do and become anything. I am fully aware that criminal law and modeling are two different worlds with two different objectives, however, I believe that with the correct amount of hard work and dedication, I can balance myself in a way that helps me to contribute my skills and creativity equally to both fields.



Why Criminal law? It’s difficult. You’re going to be working with criminals! What about your conscience? These are all questions that I’ve been asked regarding my interest in criminal law. Yes. Criminal law can be difficult to specialize in, and requires a lot of focus, and the ability to block out any emotions or thoughts that can distract me from my job and what I’m supposed to do. But like I was told at my internship, the Wolfenzon Schulman & Ryan law firm, that specializes in construction defect and law suits, everyone is entitled to a defense. After hearing that everything just began to fall into place and my interest in criminal law became even greater. No matter who the person may be and what they are accused of, it would always be my job to try my hardest to defend that person and detour them from either having to serve no time in jail, or less time. I’ve always been one to not only talk my way out of different situations, but also filter certain things in my mind to help me function better as a whole. With these two abilities, I cannot only strategically talk my way into successfully defending a client and winning a case, but also interacting with the client and being able to keep my distance mentally and emotionally, and not letting outside distractions interfere with my job, and goals as a criminal defense attorney. However, if I were to become a model, sometimes I will not be able to prevent certain emotions and mental thoughts from coming upon me, and possibly showing through my expressions and body language, because that’s just apart of the learning process of being a successful model.




Now modeling just comes naturally. Ever since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed being in front of a camera, posing, and letting my personality shine through my expressions and my poses. However, the industry does have a lot of ups and downs, and requires you to know a lot of things that can either make or break you. It can be very fast pace, rude, complicated, hurtful, and slow to support you. Due to the fact that there are thousand of young girl’s trying to get their big break in modeling, chances of finding an agency, getting work, or booked for a photo shoot becomes very slim, which makes it really hard on you if you’re expecting to support yourself, be on your own, and pay bills. Fortunately for me, modeling is not something that I’m looking to for 100% life support. I do have other plans and goals for law, and modeling is something that I would want to do on the side, or as the fashion industry would call it, “hobby modeling”. Meaning, modeling is not your #1 focus, but is something that you would want to do on the side for a little extra money.



To me personally, modeling is not just times to look pretty and take a whole bunch of pictures in different locations, but a business. Almost every main product, piece of clothing, or magazine that you buy in stores has either a face (model) or some type of body part on it, the tag, or the sign or billboard that’s advertising those clothes or the product. This is called advertising and demand. And in order for advertising and demand to be successful, specific models with specific looks have to come in to help grab the consumers’ attention for a designers clothing line, or a companies product. When advertisements are released, and consumers see a pretty face or some famous icon on an item, they tend to get the “idea” that they too can either look like that or get extremely close. When this happens, the “idea” spreads across the globe, the items began to sell, and demand increases, making designers and companies earn more money.



What strikes me the most about the industry and makes me want to be apart of it, is the lack of “normal” models on high-end advertisements, representing very prestigious designers, and on the cover of popular magazines. Over the years celebrities have gradually pushed themselves to the top, while bringing down the others. The industry has become so used to the circulation and fan-base of current and incoming stars, that they’re slowly but surely blocking out the potential of girl’s who aren’t celebrities. To me, that’s unfair, and it is definitely time for a change. That’s when I come in. My personality and charm is one of a kind, and even though there are a few physical traits that I need to work on to improve my look as a whole, I still am positive that my knowledge and special way of thinking, just might be the key that opens the doors for other young girls like me, that are in need of more attention from the industry, and less time being pushed out of the picture by celebrities. In fact, if both social groups (famous and non-famous) were to somehow come together as one, and contribute all helpful ideas, resources, knowledge, and money, the modeling industry and even the world as a whole would be a better place.





When a celebrity stops to pose with a fan, what does that mean? Do they care? How does the celebrity feel? Do fans really impact the thoughts and emotions of a star? Do they feel like they’re better? These are all questions that run through my mind when I see picture or videos of stars posing with fans. Sometimes, when I look at picture I get the impression that celebrities pose with fans just to give the illusion that they care when really they don’t. But that needs to change. Everyone knows that most celebrities do have a lot of money, however, that should not matter. Mentally, everyone should be made considered equal. If the media would decrease the amount of exposure put on celebrities, and increase the amount of exposure put on more important issues such as economy prices, the homeless, and education, maybe everyone else besides the 3% of celebrities that make up this world, would begin to feel more important, heard, and hopeful. Liked I learned a lot more of at internship, there are millions of people around the world that are in desperate need of help, and that are less fortunate than me. And that child, who feels like they are all alone and invisible, depends on people like me to bring forth that awareness that will help them. Even celebrities who use their status for getting floor seats to a basketball game, or the choice to close down and store and shop alone, can instead put their pride aside and do more useful things that will positively impact others that needs their help. But in order for this to work, every mind and action must be organized, and everyone has to put on their game face.







Like I always say, organization is the key to success. If my life, and things around me that help me to have a good life, such as schoolwork and my room is organized, then everything is a lot easier to access, and more things are able to get dome in a timely matter. I now that having an organized life can and will do nothing but help me to become a better person, improve, and accomplish my goal of becoming a criminal defense attorney. I believe that slowly preparing for when I do have to be independent and live on my own now, will permanently set my mind into thinking that way, and making it easier for me to glide through college safely and successfully. Thanks to my internship, I was able to really practice working independently through organizing case files and documents for long-term storage, in my own office, giving me a fabulous opportunity to experience firsthand how it would really feel to work in the environment of a law firm as an attorney.







Above, is the office where I worked to complete all assignments given to me by my mentor, and other co-workers, that I worked with in the filing department. As you can see, the picture is very sort of glared, blurry, and looks sort of like it was painted with watercolor paint. The reason for this is because I wanted to give the effect that it was almost like a dream, because that’s what the experience felt like.



Even though I talk a lot about working in a law office and having clients, I never knew that I would actually get the chance to work in a law office, and with actual attorneys. My internship has really guided me onto the right path of success, and has opened my mind up to new aspects of law that I’d never thought of before. Law can be looked at in a ton of different ways, but the number one goal of any law office, specializing in anything, is to try their best to help others, and help to make society a better place through laws and teamwork, which is what I can see myself doing for a very long time.

s2 blog 4

My hopes for the publication of ampersand, is to create a book for readers of all ages and styles all over the world, that is an accurate representation of our hard work, creativity, and knowledge, through a highly polished edited book.

S2 Blog 3

Fabulously Chatting With Ms. Dion
One of laws finest, sharpest, paralegals, talks about her journey from the new girl in school, to the “it” girl in the office!

Janae Noland


I sat in my office, anxiously awaiting Ms. Dion, my key to new knowledge. She stands about five foot seven. Her long, brown, curly hair gracefully lays down her back. Her smile can light up a room, while her style can light up a runway. Her dress nicely drapes her body, while her jewelry fabulously complements her attire and her personality. She may be mistaken for a girly girl on the outside, but on the inside, nothing less than a pistol. Her skills and work ethic heavily contribute to and enhance the atmosphere of the firm, while her unique sense of humor touches the minds and hearts of those around her.

Ms. Dion is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, where she attended National University in Kansas City, Kansas. Her original decision was to major in accounting, which she eventually changed to computer science, and then later changed again to business management. However, due to an opportunity presented to her by a photographer, Ms. Dion did not graduate college with her major, but instead ended up doing modeling for a couple of years.

As a child, according to her, her life was interesting. She moved around a lot and lived a little bit of everywhere. She attended several schools in different states, but graduated from Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Fortunately, with her eagerness to learn and absorb new knowledge, her eyes were opened to different concepts and cultures, which pushed her towards her decision to move to California.

After years of traveling around the U.S., she finally uprooted from Kansas City, and made the move to San Diego, California, where she currently works as a paralegal at the Wolfenzon Schulman & Ryan law firm, specializing in intellectual property, trademark, and civil litigation.

Back in my office, I hear her Aldo stilettos getting closer and closer, while my smile gets bigger and bigger. She appears, sits down, and here we are. Her presence indicated that she is awaiting my questions, as my interest awaits her story.

Why did you prefer to represent businesses in civil law as oppose to possible felons and criminals in criminal law?
My conscious. I just happened to enjoy, well, very fortunate that I have jobs in different areas of the law. I've worked to get some of my experience in surrogacy law, family law, and litigation. I currently work in the area of personal injury, business litigation, civil litigation, and my preference is civil litigation. You know...and when I say conscious, I believe every person deserves a defense. I'm very passionate about the law. However, I think certain things in me would prevent me to do the best job possible for someone I knew that was guilty of something they were accused of in spite of the fact that we are retained to provide them with a defense.

In what ways do you think law has evolved and improved over the past years?
One thing about the law that keeps my interest is the fact that it changes constantly. Such as, you know, discovery has changed over the years. Now, its not so much paper in tented, but it’s electronic driven.

What is your main objective when a new law case arrives?
Making sure that the client and carrier are comfortable in knowing that we are preparing to work our hardest for them.

What drives you to want to come to work everyday?
One, to feed my children! (Laughs) No. I love the law. I mean, even in my spare time I watch things related to the law, I read books related to the law. I'm pretty fortunate that I work in a small firm that allows me to utilize a lot of my skills, as far as being able to work on every aspect of a case.

How do you believe lawsuits and cases could be improved?
I think as long as the attorneys, paralegals, file clerks, and any and everyone in the law firm are mindful or don’t get stuck in the fact that “this is the way we do it and this is the way we’ve always done it”, but always open for change, trying to learn the new ways of doing things, staying on top of the different changes of the law, knowing that different courts have different procedures, and making sure you remember that even though the information is always readily available, but that you seek it.

In the law firm, what makes you stand out from everybody else?
I would definitely say that I’m a unique individual, but I think everybody is (Laughs). But I think it’s really how I feel about myself and how I carry myself. You know, like I said, my work ethic, the fact that I don’t come to work just because I have a job, but that I enjoy what I do and come in to give 110 percent. I make sure that all day every day I’m doing the best that I can to encourage others to do their job, try not to be a burden on others, and just have a positive attitude.

What advice would you give juniors in high school all across America that are preparing for college and their career choice?
To be mindful of the thing that motivates you and that you are the most passionate about, because that will be something that you’ll stick with. There are a lot of statistics that says that you will change your career five times in your lifetime. But if you go after something you’re passionate about, you’ll tend to be satisfied in what you do, where you work. Don’t just accept what is given to you, but have drive and go get whatever it is that you want.



Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Definitely still in the area of law. The firm I’m with is a place that I would like to stay and grow. We are a small firm, and we do have more than one office in more than one location. If we should ever become a bigger firm, I could see myself in a leadership role, but definitely still in the area of law.

S2 Blog two

In my office is where I awaited My key to new knowledge,Ms. Dion. Her Aldo stilettos got closer and closer, while my smile got bigger and bigger. She appeared, sat down, and here we are. Her presence is the beginning to part two of my journey. Her answers await my questions, and my interest awaits her story.

She stands about five foot seven. Her long curly hair gracefully lays down her back. Her smile can light up a room, while her style can light up a runway. Her dress nicely drapes her body, while her jewelry fabulously complemented her attire and her personality. She may be mistaken for a girly girl on the outside, but nothing less than a cannon ball on the inside. Her skill and work heavily contributes and enhances the work of the firm, along with her unique sense of humor contributes to the minds and hearts of those around her.

Mrs. Dion is originally from Kansas City Missouri, where she attended National University in Kansas City Kansas. Her original decision was to major in accounting, before she eventually changed it to computer science, and then later changed it again to business management.

Surprisingly, Ms.Dion did not graduate college with her major, but instead ended up doing modeling for a couple of years.

As a child, according to her, her life was interesting. She moved around a lot and shes lived a little bit of everywhere. She attended several schools in different states, but graduated from Central High School in Kansas City Missouri. Fortunately, with her eager to learn and absorb in new knowledge, her eyes were opened up to a lot of different things and cultures, about a lot of different people.

Although Ms. Dion was one of lucky few to be able to travel and experience the different lifestyles in different states, she soon made the important decision to leave Kansas City Missouri, and move tho San Diego California, where she currently works as a paralegal at the Wolfenzon Schulman & Ryan law firm, specializing in intellectual property, trademark, and civil litigation.


1. What should I change?
2. Should I add anything?
3. Doe sit seeem organized for the reader?
4. Too descriptive maybe?

1ST DAY OF INTERNSHIP!!

WELL...TODAY EVERYTHING WENT PRETTY WELL...i even have my own office!!!! WHEN I FiRST GOT HERE I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT AFTER GETTING MY FORMS FILLED OUT AND DRINKING COFFEE AND TEA i started to loosen up. I woke up at like 7:30 this morning. My ride came to pick me up around 8:30 and we got here a little before nine. That was good because i had to be here at nine so i was on time. I looked pretty cute. I wore some black slacks, a peachish-colored shirt and some green flats that matched my purse. I was kept busy but not too busy. what i did today, was go through about 25 boxes full of paper work and organize case numbers, titles, and files to be prepared for shipping. After organizing their files, I entered all of the organized information into a spreadsheet. It was slightly confusing in the beginning but after doing a couple, i started getting the hang of it all and even came up with a few strategies that helped me to move and get done a lot faster. doing all this really opened my mind up to new law vocabulary and i was able to really get a feel of hoe being an attorney would be. Everybody here is really nice and they even have snacks in the kitchen that I'm welcomed to anytime i want them! I'm pretty excited about more to come and i can't wait to learn new things.

~PICS~


This struck me because I like to eat, and I got really excited when I opened the cabinet and saw all these snacks.